APRIL 19, 2015
• From Page 2. cognacs. A history of class For 250 years, Hennessy has impressed and pervaded the lives of world citizens from royalty to the world of rap. As an experience of a lifestyle and a taste of class, Hennessy boasts a level of demand that perfectly balances this iconic spirit. In the beginning of the 19th century, the Prince of Wales, a cognac connoisseur and future King George IV of Great Britain, personally ordered a “Very Superior Old Pale” from the House of Hennessy. Since then, “V S O P” has become a benchmark for all cognac makers and adopted the title of “privilege” the world over. A cognac fit for emperors, Paradis Imperial was inspired by a special order for the Tsar of Russia in 1818. It is comprised of eaux de vie aged from 30 to 130 years. It was Empress Maria Feodorovna who requested Hennessy to produce the most exceptional cognac as a birthday gift to her son Tsar Alexander I. It began a tradition of the Russian royal court regularly enjoying Hennessy cognacs. The Paradis Imperial has remained one of the highest grades of the cognac world and still sits almost at the top of the Hennessy catalogue. The only step above being the outstanding cognac created and named for the founder Richard Hennessy. The New Orleans Classic One of the most storied cognac cocktails, dating back to 1850 from the Sazerac House in New Orleans, is the iconic cocktail of the Big Easy. Mix simple syrup, three dashes of bitters, Hennessy Cognac, and ice in a glass. Remove the ice and in a chilled glass pour a small amount of absinthe over the ice. Discard the liquid and add the flavoured ice to the Hennessy. Stir and serve. In art and legend Hennessy collaborations with celebrities of music and art have yielded a range of signature drink recipes, each reflecting the collaborator’s unique attributes. From Nas' “Big Apple” to Shepard Fairey’s “Revolution”, artists have embraced the opportunity to express their creativity through cocktails.
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL Hennessy has indeed fully embraced the culture, and over the years the brand has chosen to collaborate with some of the most outstanding talents in hip hop and urban culture, including Tupac Shakur, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Eminem, Wyclef Jean, NeYo, 50Cent, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and recently Nas. Extending their tradition of musical patronage dating back to the 19th century, the first official Hennessy music event featured virtuoso violinist Patrice Fontanarosa conducting the Hennessy Concerto in 1977. Since then, Hennessy has hosted scores of prestigious classical events, operas, and symphonies around the globe, including the famous Hennessy Artistry.
The taste of a new experience
Part of Hennessy’s long tradition of history-making artistic collaborations, The Rap Monument is one of the most extensive hip hop tracks ever produced, featuring original verses from 36 artists, stretching over more than 40 minutes. Throughout the years, Hennessy has fervently supported jazz and rhythm & blues, collaborating with some of the most prestigious artists in both genres. Hennessy hosts the annual Blues Passions Festival in Cognac and has partnered with Jazz At Lincoln Center, and even once launched an album with Grover Washington Jr. Continuing its evolution and patronage of the arts, Hennessy in the Caribbean has seen a wave of unbridled support in the
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reggae community and the icons of today taking part in a lifestyle that has been crafted for centuries. From Hennessy Artistry to the Barbados Reggae Festival, the complete saturation of Hennessy brings more than just music and flavour to the world but also the taste of an experience, a lifestyle that can trace back an illustrious past and an evolving future. The Hennessy brand strives for a continuing dialogue between the past and the present as a blend of, as they say, grands siècles, the great centuries. An illustrated Hennessy campaign from the 1900s featured images of St Bernards with casks on their collars, which helped cement a myth in the popular imagination. The heroic rescue dogs of the French Alps did not actually carry brandy, the legend sprung from an 1820 painting by Edwin Landseer. For the 250th anniversary, Hennessy has launched its Hennesy 250 Tour of visual artists from around the world. The tour sees Hennessy’s legacy, its unique expertise, and emblematic objects that have marked its history, interpreted through the eyes of internationally renowned artists: photographers, filmmakers, and designers, including Xavier Veilhan, Charles Sandison, Pierrick Sorin, Tony Oursler, Anton Corbijn, and Constance Guisset. In 2003, the Hennessy Privilège Awards were established to recognise those who give back to their community, while also embodying the attributes that define Hennessy V S O P Privilège: mastery, strength, and sophistication. Past honourees include Daymond John, Spike Lee, Magic Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, and George Lopez, among others. In Barbados, there is a tendency to call it brandy, but it’s really cognac because of where it is made. Cognac can only be called such when it is made in the Cognac territory of France. A lot of the grape vines there are 45 years and older. They grow and are trimmed every spring. In those mountains, they train the vines. If they have too many sprouts and bear too much then the quality goes down. The grapes are fermented to make wine and then the wine is distilled to make cognac. For Hennessy, they take the first and last distillation away and only use the middle distillation. That is what they refer to as eaux de vie that goes into the cask and aged to become Hennessy Cognac.